How to take a Stand against Animal abuse.

Flouresent lightbulbs flicker, and in the dimness you can make out thousands of chickens squashed tightly together in a small pen. The smell of dirt and stale air hits your nostrils, and you have to hold your breath because the stench is so bad. As you adjust your eyes to the darkness, you can see that the chickens can't move-there's no space. Plus theres the fact that the waste has not been cleaned up, and the chickens have been pinned to the ground in the muck. Because of all the hormones being pumped into them 24/7 their small bodies are not strong enough to hold themselves up. These chickens will only have a very short lifespan-about 45 days, before they are slaughtered and shipped to a grocery store near you. How does this happen? You ask. Unfortunately animal abuse, such as non free range farming and animal testing has become an increasing problem because it is the cheapest way to raise meat and test products. Fortunately there are ways you can take a stand against this. Ways such as supporting animal welfare organizations, researching brands that are against animal abuse and buying/eating organic. 

In 2005 32.5 million cattle were slaughtered.About two thirds of this number were injected with hormones to make them grow faster and add weight to maximize the producer's profits. So, why eat organic? Well,  According to the "European Union’s Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health" 3 out of 6 hormones that are injected into beef are synthetic, and they include: Zeranol, Trenbolone, and Melengestrol. These hormones can lead to developmental problems, and could result in breast,prostate or colon cancer. Buying Free Range meat is also a way to support the ethical treatment of animals. Buying Free Range ensures that the animals had access to the outdoors, or lived on the fields of the farm, not in cramped cages that they live in when farmed under non Free Range circumstances. If you buy organic/Free Range, you are not only supporting animal welfare, but are also choosing the healthier option for your body. Although, there are more things you can do to take action against animal cruelty. Animal testing is a big problem, and you as a consumer contain a lot of power-watch what you buy and consider where it came from before you place it on the cashier. 

Animal testing is where products are tested on animals before they are put on the market, or where animals are used for experimentation for medicine or other products, such as dog or cat food. Countless procedures are preformed on them to see how the food affects their bodies. A quote from the PETA website sums up animal testing perfectly "Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds. Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them."Even if your not an animal lover, is this really right? If these were people this sort of testing would be unacceptable. Because animals can't speak, does it make animal testing accepted? Next time, while shopping turn the bottle over and look to see if the product was animal tested. If we all do this then we can make a difference. 

If you are really serious about making difference-support the organizations that create Animal welfare campaigns. Organizations such as PETA (people for the Ethical treatment of Animals) There are many ways that you can contribute to PETA, you can make donations, sign there petitions and help spread the word. Many people do not realize what happens to animals behind closed doors in laboratories and what lies beneath the packaging in meat. PETA also has very powerful videos that show the ugly, but hard truth. Videos of Cows being burned with red hot pokers, pigs being electrocuted and what happens during animal testing. These websites play a big part in spreading the word and exposing companies for what they really are. 

Facing the truth is hard, and some tend to shy away from it and pretend that it isn't happening. However  animal abuse IS happening. Everyday Chickens, cows and pigs and others are being crammed into crowded into pens, being blinded and operated on, slaughtered and skinned. We can do something about this. Buy Organic/Free Range, look at the labels of products before you buy-do they preform animal testing?Support the Animal Welfare organizations, they have countless ways for you to get involved. The animals that are stuck inside cold, hard cages can't pretend this doesn't happen, and neither should we, they can't speak up for themselves, it is up to us to speak out for them. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Outline:

Persuasion Essay outline:

Introduction:

a)  Hook: Introduce with a really short story (to give imagery and set the mood)

1. Use story to describe the conditions of factories and slaughterhouses.

b)    Thesis statement: Unfortunately animal abuse has become a evident problem because of companies killing animals unethically. They do this because it is the cheapest and efficient way, no matter how cruel. However there are ways to not support this. Introduce the main points

1.   Eating Organic/Free Range meat

2.     Researching what brands support anti animal abuse

3.     Support organisations such as PETA

Point I

a)    Organic eating

1.    Organic means that the animals are not pumped with hormones, which means it is a healthy choice for you.

2.    Hormones injected to add weight include: Zeranol, Trenbolone, and Melengestrol These can cause health probems and can lead to breast, prostate or colon cancer.

b)   Free range meat.

1.   Free range meat according the U.S department of Agriculture is when the animals have access to the outdoors, as well as living on the fields.

Point II

a)  Make sure to look at labels to see if the company performs animal testing.

1.Many companies use animals to test their products before releasing them on the market.

2. Look at the back of the bottle to see if the company is against it. An example of a company against animal testing is the Body Shop.

Point III

a)  Look at organisations such as PETA

1.   PETA stands for the ethical treatment of animals. Uses campaigns to create awareness.

2.   Support these organizations by being aware of the brands that practice unethical actions.

Conclusion:

a)  Refer back to main points

1.   buy organic/free range

2.   look out for products that do not perform animal testing.

3.   Support the animal welfare organization.

b)  End with a image-the animals that suffer from abuse can’t pretend that this doesn’t happen-and neither should you.

My Reflection on Why Don't We Complain" and "On Compassion"

While reading these two essays I had very different reactions to each one. "On Compassion" was a much more emotional peice and dealt with a very touch subject of poverty, specifically homeless people. I thought is was very interesting how the writer, Barbara Ascher, used many literary techniques, one particularly powerful one being the use of rhetorical questions.An example being "what compels this woman to feed this man? Pity? Care? Compassion?" This is is good technique because it makes the reader contemplate what the writer is trying to say, in other words, it is an affective way to make the reader think more deeply into the subject. I found "On Compassion" much more "creative" than "Why Don't We Complain" because of the techniques that she uses, not only rhetorical questions but also suspense and allusion. Barbara Ascher makes a strong impact when she ends her essay with the line "This play doesn't end-and the players can't go home." She is referring to how Greek tragedies were used to invoke empathy in the viewers, and questioning if homeless people do the same today. If I were to write an essay, this is definitely something that I would like to include, to not only make my point, but leave the reader with a lasting impression, which is something that this did to me.


"Why Don't We Complain" by William F. Buckley was written on the subject of why, we as people do not complain more, why are we so passive? What I thought was interesting about this piece of writing was how he used so many examples to put across his point. Such as how he was on a train that way uncomfortably hot, but no one wanted to make a scene and complain. The use of many examples gives the reader lots of situations, which makes the essay far more entertaining to read. This is a similarity between the essay of "On compassion," as that author also used examples to create imagery and make it more interesting. I also liked how he had such a clear tone, it was very obvious to the reader that he thought that people should speak their minds more, and admitted that he was often frustrated because no one would. I think that this also makes the essay more relatable to people, as I'm sure that many people feel this way as-well.


However, I felt that "On Compassion" had a much longer lasting emotional affect on me, as the subject was much closer to home. I have had many experiences with homeless people when I travel to less privileged countries, and I always feel guilty, and end up giving them money. Until I read this essay, I had never really questioned why I did it, but now I wonder why. Is it because I am compassionate? Or do I do it because it is the "right thing to do?" These are all the questions that this essay left with me, because of Barbara Ascher's literary techniques such as the imagery and rhetorical questions. "Why Don't We Complain" also provoked me to think about why we never want to cause scenes, but his audience was for older people, as he related this to politics, something that I know is important but I am not necessarily interested in just yet.

Relection:Christmas time

Christmas Time is a holiday were people's true nature is shown. In my family, Christmas is not really a time of relaxation, but more of a stressful period where my Granny tries to make every detail perfect. This includes the tree, in which she uses her sweet old lady charms to corner my Dad into spending half the day pulling down ancient decorations from the attic. After making sure that my Dad isn't going to flee from his designated job, she then shuffles off to my mum and her three sisters, giving them cooking tasks like choosing the desert or what to drink (which ends up having to be approved by her anyway) and running around like a chicken without a head trying to satisfy everyone in my family dietary needs. While this is happening to the adults, us (the kids) don't notice it at all. Since my family is Australian, Christmas is during the summer time, so we rush in and out, trekking sand and sea water all over the house, which my Granny efficiently vacuums up the second we slam the door shut.
"Islah!Your dripping water all over my floorboards!" said Granny as she ushered my cousins out of the house. Before I left I caught a glimpse of my Dad with his head up the attic, sneezing because of all the dust balls that had gathered on the decorations in a year.

I never used to understand why, at the end of Christmas dinner, all the parents used to collapse onto the sofa with a box of Quality streets chocolates and look like they wanted to sleep for a million years. I mean, it was Christmas! I thought waking up my parents at five in the morning to open stockings was a gift. The earlier you wake up, the longer christmas day is! However, this year, I finally understood why. Granny had knocked on our door at eight in the morning, and we all greeted her with choruses of "Merry Christmas Granny!" she hugged us all and then bustled into the kitchen, rustling pans and eggs to make a big breakfast for all of my extended family. This continued throughout the day, making lunch Granny was constantly peering over my uncle's shoulder. "Just add some more salt" she would say. By the end of lunch and present opening everyone was exhausted and sprawled out around the living room, with plates of pudding resting on stomaches and a jungle of wrapping paper surrounding everyone. I couldn't help but smile when I saw granny shaking my Grandpa awake, frowning as she did so, asking him to show her how to change the settings of the Christmas lights. Although she might cause everyone in my family to have an anxiety attack, Christmas without Granny rushing around wouldn't be christmas at all.

Third Person Experience: Stiches and Snakes.

        A remote control was hastily thrown across the room, accompanied by a deafening screech.
       "MUMMMMM" they boy called,backing up on the sofa, as far away from the hissing black snake on the carpet as possible. The boy's sister was frozen in fear until she snapped into action a minute later. Springing upwards, she too backed up, shrieking for her mother. Chaos overtook the room, and the mother hung back in the hallway, holding onto the dog's collar.
        "Julie!! JULIEEE!" the mother called, and, seconds later, the maid came through, holding the father's golf club with a dangerous glint in her eye.

       "Jump! Jump!"  She motioned to the children, signaling for them to jump off the couches and down the hall to safety.

       The young boy leaped across the room, landed with a thump, and ran screaming down the hall. The girl, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. After the commotion, the snake had decided that it should take refuge under the couch she was sitting on. Taking deep breaths, she jumped, and, in a split second tripped over her own ankles, causing her to smash her right cheek against the hard tiled steep leading into the living room. The fall was hardy noticeable though, for the fact that she was up and running almost immediately. The fear of the snake coming out from under it's hiding place gave her an adrenalin rush, and she didn't even notice she was bleeding until she wiped her hand across her cheek, and it was wet with blood.
       "Laurie, grab the phone and call dad" the mother said.
     The girl was pressing a towel  over her face, with blood staining her arms and hands. The pain was starting to set in now, and her eyes watered with tears as she walked on wobbly legs to the car, her mother tightly gripping her shoulders.


The harsh fluorescent lights glared down on the Hospital bed, and the girl held her Dad's hand as the doctor stitched her face together. Wincing as the needle went into her cheek, she soon felt the area go numb with local anesthesia.Holding his Daughters hand, the father turned away as the stitches were tied, and grimaced to himself. 
            "Right, all done then!" The doctor said, "I'll just stick this bandage here..and voila! Your free to go!" 
"Thank you very much, Doctor" the girls father said, as the family walked out the revolving doors with a tube of scar cream and a bottle of pain killers. 
It wasn't until about midnight that they got back at home, and straight away the girl flopped on to her bed and, closing her eyes, let one of the most bizarre days of her life wash over her as she felt the darkness of sleep pulling her down into her soft bed. 

Third person reflection:
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Using third person was interesting because I was able to see the story in different ways, as it wasn't focused on one person's thoughts. It was also good to be able to distance myself from the story so I could see it from a new light, and it gave the story a third dimension because it wasn't focused on one person's view point the whole time.